Register a birth

How to register a birth

Births must be registered within 21 days. If the parents are married to each other,
either parent may attend the Registration Office. If the parents are not married
to each other normally they should attend together if the father's name is to appear
on the birth entry. Further advice can be obtained from any Registration Office.

A birth occurring in Scotland may be registered in any Scottish registration office.

All Registration Offices within South Ayrshire now operate an appointment system
for all registration matters. Please telephone the relevant registration office
to arrange a mutually convenient appointment.

Fees

There is no fee to register a birth and you will be issued with an abbreviated birth
certificate free of charge.

£10.00 if purchased at the time or within one month

£15.00 if purchased after one month

Documents to bring

When you come to your appointment please bring the card issued by the hospital and, if the parents are married to one other, your marriage certificate. If you do not have a certificate, please note that you must be able to provide the registrar with the date and place of your marriage.

Giving false information to a registrar is a serious offence. Any person who knowingly gives false information in a material particular to a registrar is liable:

on conviction on indictment, to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to both;

on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding Level 3 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or to both.